September 21, 1999

The Fragiie
Nine Inch Nails
Nothing / Universal

Five years after the
release of “The
Downward Spiral,” the
man who popularized
so-called “industrial”
music has released his
third album. Over the
last five years, fans and
magazines have been
anxiously awaiting the
release of this new
album, entitled “The
Fragile.” Fans were
expecting an epic, like
“The Downward Spiral”
was. Magazines were
saying that “The Fragile”
was going to save rock
and roll. After all of the
hype, Trent Reznor had
a difficult reputation to
live up to.

To start, this album
lacks the lyri¢al depth of
“The Downward Spiral.”
Instead, some of them
seem like a flashback to
the “Pretty Hate
Machine” era of Nine
Inch Nails... Popish
lyrics at times. While
there are some really
good lyrical tracks to
this album (“The Day
The World Went Away”,
“I’m Looking Forward To
Joining You, Finally”),
they seem to be out-
weighed by the tracks
that aren’t as good.

In the same fashion
of the lyrics, the music
also generally seems to
lack : depth. Some
songs sound dead and
completely uninspired,
which is unusual for
Nine Inch Nails. On
past recordings, there
seemed to be a con-
cious effort to make
each song different
from the last, and each
album different from the
last, and that doesn’t
happen here. Some of
the instrumentals on
here are very good,
while others are dull
and boring.

He Says...

Heralded as
“most anticipated
album” of both
1998 and 1999 by

Nine Inch Nails is a

thing definite step in a
epic to direction.
come Instead of heavy
from sampling and drum

the darkest depths of
Nine Inch Nails, and this
didn’t meet my expecta-
tions. | tried to not be
too hard on this album,
but | found it lacking.
Personally, | can see
myself listening to this
again, but | think that
“The Downward
Spiral” and
“Broken” will hit my
CD player a lot
more often. There
are some very
good songs on &

here, but there are. &
others that | will 3
consistently skip. |
“The Fragile” might [iam
have been the |e
rock and roll sav-
ing album that was jp
anticipated if the
second CD was
dropped and the
weaker songs #
removed.

loops, Trent Reznor has decided
on a sound consisting primarily
of piano, guitar and violin. It very
accessible for a man that’s
known for creating songs with
layer upon layer of heavily edited,
computer generated sounds.
Radio stations in the US have
proven this with “We're In This

Son ae aad

Jeremy Karlson

route is now even better.
There’ special pricing up and
down the line on trips 150 miles
or longer each way.
With fares like these it’s time to
| pack your bags, plan an extra visit
or just experience British Columbia
and beyond. For reservations and
information contact BC Rail at
1-800-663-8238.

Ask about our 5 day pac

| in Jasper and trips on VIA A rom sto CARIDOR |

prea se arg

she Says...

Together,” the first video of the
record, being put into heavy rota-
tion. With songs like “The Frail”

(think of the piano soundtrack to
Eyes Wide Shut at double speed)

and “Starf**kers, Inc.” though
don’t expect much of the album
to make to the radio. It still is
along the lines of his previous
album (“The Downward Spiral”)
in that each song builds along a
certain flowing theme. Instead of
introversion and a descent into
madness, we have a search for
hope in finding a women and
media whoring from a friend.
There’s a good variety of moods
here too. You have relaxing
Sunday afternoon music in “La
Mer” and “The Great Below” &

PRINCE GEORGE AND:
Regular Sale. = Meals
Williams Lake $64.00 $41.60 B
100 Mile House 86.00 55.90 B
Lillooet 129.00 7740 BL
Whistler 16500 99.00° BL ||
North Vancouver 194.00 116.40 BLD

B= Breakfast LeLunch D-Dinner

ONE WAY RATES BETWEEN

Over The Edge Page 9

pure industrial anger in “The
Wretched” and “Pilgrimage”, but
he still keeps the manic depres-
sive vibe in “Into The Void” and
“The Big Come Down.’ With a
price tag around thirty dollars is it
worth the investment? | think so.
Is it the album of the decade?
Forget it. It may be too daring for
most people to accept.

Miss Scarlet

obi ate eRehc E

NORTH VANCOUVER